Review: LEROY AND LUCY at Steppenwolf Theatre Company

In Ngozi Anyanwu’s LEROY AND LUCY, two strangers meet at a crossroads in Mississippi...and not much happens. Based upon the myth of Robert Johnson, who supposedly sold his soul to the devil to make it as a blues musician, the play finds Leroy (Jon Michael Hill) and Lucy (Brittany Bradford) in a liminal space. And that’s precisely the challenge of this play: Anyanwu’s characters don’t know each other and literally exist on Andrew Boyce’s empty (but pretty) set. It’s a tall order to create high stakes when characters are unknown to each other, and unfortunately, Anyanwu’s play isn’t dynamic enough to sustain its 90-minute run time. 

Admittedly, I was also unfamiliar with the myth that inspired the play. In general, though, I think the context that informs Anywanyu’s writing isn’t made explicit in the play, and therefore, contributes to its stagnation. The play has no discernible trajectory. Leroy stumbles upon Lucy at a crossroads; they chat, they flirt, they share little glimpses from their backstories. And the play continues on like that. Leroy and Lucy simply talk to one another. Sure, Anyanwu introduces a few little twists in the material, but the twists are minor enough that they don’t add dynamics. Likewise, the play has a seemingly false ending and then a scene that provides additional context to close it out, but that final moment doesn’t justify the lack of storyline that precedes it.

 Under the direction of Awoye Timpo, Hill and Bradford are affable and charming. They have an easy rapport and a comfortability with one another, even though their characters don’t know each other. The actors are fun to watch, but their charming presences can’t compensate for the lack of action. Likewise, the play includes a smattering of blues music (with music direction from Jeremy Jones), but not enough to create a sense of dynamism. Bradford has a lovely singing voice and Hill holds his own on that front, too, but I wish there had been more music to break up the play. 

Ultimately, LEROY AND LUCY feels more like a sketch than a fully formed play. Anyanwu had inspiration for the central conceit, but the playwriting is stagnant and doesn’t have a sense of momentum or character development. Much like Leroy and Lucy themselves, the play dangles in an in-between space — and didn’t give me enough as an audience member to digest and observe. 

The world premiere of LEROY AND LUCY plays Steppenwolf’s in-the-round Ensemble Theater through December 15, 2024. 

Photo Credit: Michael Brosilow

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